Monday, December 12, 2016

A bi-weekly, non-comprehensive roundup
of news of beer and other things.

Weeks 47/4820 November - 3 December 2016

1 December 2016

Legal marijuana, which by 2026 could be a $50 billion business in sales alone, remains the biggest threat [to the craft beer business]. Support for legalization is growing: 58 percent of the country supports recreational use.I think it will negatively impact alcohol consumption.

Author Pete Brown has been named Beer Writer of the Year 2016 at the British Guild of Beer Writers’ annual awards ceremony, staged on 1 December in London. The Award represents a ‘hat trick’ for Brown, who also took the title in 2012 and 2009. Beer Writer of the Year is the top award in the Guild’s annual competition for writing about beer and pubs, which this year received more than 150 entries across nine categories. Brown won two categories – for the best writing in trade press and in national media – on his way to the top prize.

1 December 2016
The Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America returns to Washington, D.C., 10-13 April 2016, for its second time there.

Presented annually by the Brewers Association [for 34 years], the Conference is the craft brewing industry’s leading event, and the only one that serves both brewpubs and packaging breweries. BrewExpo America is the premier trade show for craft brewers.

1 December 2016
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) selects Belgium's beer and brewing culture as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, one of sixteen new additions that were announced.

Making and appreciating beer is part of the living heritage of a range of communities throughout Belgium. It plays a role in daily life, as well as festive occasions. Almost 1,500 types of beer are produced in the country including by some Trappist communities. Craft beer has become particularly popular. Beer is also used by communities for cooking, producing products like beer-washed cheese, and paired with food. Knowledge of the element is shared in the home, social circles, breweries, universities and public training centres.

29 November 2016
The International Hop Growers Convention has announced its preliminary data on 2016 global hop production.

107,203 metric tons (approximately 236,342,159 pounds) of hops were produced in 2016 on 54,210 hectares of planted acreage. While neither of these measures were record highs, they represent significant increases over the 2015 crop.

It is expected that 2016 will represent the third year in a row that global beer production will decline slightly, but with increased hop dosage in craft beers, supply appears to be in balance with demand.

Global alpha hop production was up significantly over 2015. For the first time since 2009, more than 10,000 metric tons of alpha was produced.

U.S. acreage increased 17%, but production was up only 10%. The U.S. crop experienced a major shift to aroma varieties in order to meet global 'craft' beer demand.

29 November 2016
“My word, I’m as old as the hills.” Emma Morano, born in 1899, is last known living person to have been born in 19th century. Morano, an Italian citizen, celebrated her 117th birthday on 29 November 2016.
—Via Telegraph.

28 November 2016
Under a new Texas law, brewers must surrender their distribution rights to distributors without compensation. Those distributors are then allowed to sell those rights, again with no compensation to the brewers. Texas brewers claim that the Texas law violates their PROPERTY rights under the Texas constitution. Based upon its interpretation that the Texas Constitution protects the property rights of entrepreneurs, ostensibly forbidding this practice, an Austin trial court agreed in August. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has appealed the decision to the Third Court of Appeals.
—Via Craft Brewing Business.

23 November 2016
For second consecutive year, U.S. has planted more hops (52,962 acres) than Germany (45,957). Since 2012, U.S. hops production has increased 50%. Record-high 91.8 million pounds of hops harvested in Pacific Northwest this year.
—Via Brewbound.

26 November 2016
Two bills are pending in Congress to permit "full-fledged agricultural and industrial use" of hemp.
—Via Washington Post.

26 November 2016

Today, we have successive waves of people turning 21 who never saw BudMillerCoorsPabst in their refrigerators; never had the discussion, in middle school, on the relative merits of Bud vs. Old Style vs. Schlitz. These young men and women were raised, in fact, knowing that beer can actually be wildly and gloriously flavorful and diverse; knowing they have Real Choices...

25 November 2016
In praise of Baltic porters’ naughty comfort: this great style is underrated everywhere ... except maybe Poland [and, I would add, Lithuania and Latvia].

They can be sweetish or bitterish or both, but above all they are most enjoyable when smooth in flavor and thick of body, revealing layers of malt complexity that can include dark fruit, cocoa, coffee, toffee and licorice. [...] These days, Baltic porter is nearly always bottom-fermented, leading to a cleaner profile that further showcases—in a good one, anyway—that nearly fathomless dark malt character.

19 November 2016
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launches GOES-R (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite): first of new generation of geosynchronous weather satellites. To provide atmospheric and surface measurements of the Earth’s Western Hemisphere for weather forecasting, severe storm tracking, space weather monitoring, and meteorological research.
—Via Washington Post.

20 November 2016
University of Maryland Extension office runs program to research hops and barley for the 'craft' beer industry most suitable for growing with Maryland's terroir and climate. Has local brewery produce beer with program's first released hop. In 2017, plans to produce 24 new varieties of hops, as well as barley
—Via University of Maryland.

23 November 2016
Fresh-hopped ales are NOT the Beaujolais Nouveau of the beer world. Don't demean the former with the latter.
—Via YFGF.

21 November 2016
In 2015, the combined U.S. sales of brewing giants Anheuer-Busch InBev and MillerCoors dipped 4.34 million barrels, an amount equal to 18% of all beer produced by American 'craft' breweries that year.
—Via Beervana.

20 November 2016
U.S. government to Massachusetts 'craft' beer distributor: pay-to-play will cost you $750,000 and continued scrutiny. The payment to the TTB, however, is separate from a $2.6 million fine that Craft Beer Guild paid the Massachusetts ABCC earlier this year. Craft Beer Guild is currently appealing that decision and has asked the Massachusetts Superior Court for relief.
—Via Brewbound.

20 November 2016
Familiarity brews contempt? When did rarity start to equal greatness in beer? Looking at 15 years of the Beer Advocate "Top Beers" list.
—Via Punch.

20 November 2016
The Arctic is 36°F warmer than normal; sea ice covering the polar ocean is at a record low.
—Via Washington Post.